Porridge on the go: Serving BoP consumers with nutritious porridge while creating self-employment

As the morning sunbeams peek through the clouds, all roads lead to Mukothima market, in Tharaka Nithi, Kenya, which is already in full swing, for buyers and sellers. Amid the busy interactions between the local traders and buyers, are women with jerricans full of porridge in hand, walking around serving the marketgoers with nutritious porridge.

Among these women are Lillian Gatumi, 43, and Lucy Kanoti, 40, residents of Mukothima, Tharaka Nithi County. Determined to improve their livelihoods, Lilian and Lucy ventured into the business of selling homemade pearl millet porridge at their local market and its environs.

The 2SCALE-Tegemeo partnership has been working to promote the availability of bio-fortified pearl millet in the region.

The porridge sellers can therefore easily access quality bio-fortified pearl millet from farmers or Tegemeo to avail to consumers. Lilian, who owns a farm, also plants bio-fortified pearl millet seeds from Tegemeo and from her harvest, she can get the grains required for her porridge business.

Every evening, the two ladies grind bio-fortified pearl millet grain in readiness for the next day. They use a traditional method, passed down through generations, to make millet flour. This involves manually grinding the pearl millet on a millstone until it becomes flour. According to Lillian, her customers enjoy porridge cooked using this traditional method as opposed to that produced using modern milling machines.

Pursuing a better quality of life

For both Lilian and Lucy, selling porridge has contributed greatly to the betterment of their livelihoods. Using bio-fortified pearl millet was also a turning point for their businesses. Lilian explains,

Two years ago, I used to take jobs as a laborer on people’s farms and I would make Ksh. 300 ($ 2.5) a day. This was also unreliable because it was seasonal. I make about 10 liters daily for my porridge business and sell a cup at Ksh. 30 ($ 0.25). From this, I make Ksh. 600 ($ 5) a day in profits. Unlike working on a farm, I can run my business all year round. Consequently, using bio-fortified pearl millet has benefitted my business. The size of the grain is bigger compared to other varieties. As a result, I get more flour from a kilogram of grain. I used to get a jug of porridge from one kilogram, but since I started using bio-fortified pearl millet, I get almost three jugs! This has increased the profits I make.

Owing to the increased income, both women have expressed that it has become easier to cater to their children’s needs. They can now easily pay school fees and provide food for their families.

Just like Lilian, Lucy sells her porridge at Ksh. 30 ($ 0.25) per cup. She lives near the market, so she can go home and refill her jerrican and sell more. Since she started using the bio-fortified pearl millet, her porridge production doubled. She shares,

Before I started my porridge business, I used to look for work at construction sites. I would make porridge for my workmates, and they suggested I pursue it as a business. In 2019, I took their advice and started selling at the market. In a day, I used to make Ksh. 400 ($ 3) doing casual construction jobs. Now, I make between Ksh. 1000 ($ 8) and 1500 ($ 12) a day, using bio-fortified pearl millet. I still sell my porridge at the construction site every morning. As a single mother, I’m happy that I can now rest easy, knowing my kids will not lack.

Lilian and Lucy each have their loyal customers- some who even make orders every day. One of Lilian’s regular customers says he takes the porridge every morning because it gives him the strength to work at the market all day. The customers also noticed the change when the women started using bio-fortified pearl millet. Lucy adds,

All my customers say that the bio-fortified porridge is sweeter and makes them full. Some even ask if I add milk as I prepare the porridge. They prefer it to what I was offering before.

Moving forward, the women have expressed interest in learning business skills to grow and sustain their businesses. Lucy is interested in going back to school to learn customer relations, business management, record-keeping, and financial literacy- after which she would want to teach other women in the business.

The initiative of these women supports the goal of reaching more and more Base of Pyramid consumers with affordable and nutritious bio-fortified pearl millet products while improving the livelihood of women, smallholder farmers, and MSMEs.